Obiano earmarks only N6bn for construction of Cargo Airport in his last lap
Infrastructure financing experts have started picking holes on why upon the media campaigns mounted on the Anambra State International Cargo Airport at Umueri since the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano came into power about seven years ago; the first reasonable budgetary allocation of N6bn has just been made in the 2019 budget.
Analysts say by this development, there is no chance that his administration like that of Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, will deliver the airport before leaving office next year or so.
Presenting the state’s 2020 budget to the state’s assembly recently in Awka recently, he said the airport will be delivered in record time even though he failed to give any date of delivery.
Already, analysts have noted that even though Governor Obiano had started moves for the airport during his first term, allocating the first fund for the project close to the end of his tenure can be adjudged as a clear disservice to the collective intelligence of the state citizens who had hoped to use the airport during his stay in office like what has happened in Bayelsa State under Governor Seriake Dickson.
Some aides of the governor had in the last couple of weeks revealed that the delay in the project was due to highhandedness of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), who unilaterally seized digital drones ordered for use in the early part of the airport project.
They said that the Customs delays in releasing the drones caused serious backwardness in the takeoff of construction activities earlier planned in the last couple of years.
In a recent Facebook post by one of the media aides (name with held), he claimed that the drones were later released to the state after series of engagements at a higher level between the state and presidency.
Recent checks at the Airport proposed site in Umueri showed that even though the ground had been cleared some years ago, the massive expanse of land is now occupied by Fulani herders who had been having running battles with indigenous farmers over who should make use of the land.
Before now, there had been pockets of opposition on the site of the airport as some parties who, objected to the location linked their argument to lack of proximity advantage to any of the leading commercial towns of the state or even the state capital after all.
However the Governor, who initiated the project had hinged the location to a plan to create what he called ‘An Airport City’ that will open up the region into a mega hub of several business activity on delivery of the airport.
He gave the impression when the deal to build the airport was sealed with some not well known Chinese group who are yet to be seen since the signing of the $2bn deal in the presence of the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku at the State House, Awka.
